Lull me to Comfort
by SilverBlueAngel
Summary: I supported their heads with my arms as I backed into a corner and leaned onto the cold, stone wall. I cradled them like I never had the chance to before, my mouth slowly forming words I remembered being sung to me before; back when I was the frightened child, and not this failure of a father.
1. Chapter 1

**Edited On: 4/6/2013  
**

* * *

**Lull me to Comfort **

**Chapter 1**

"Help! Get us out of here please!"

This town wasn't a stranger to screams. It filled the air as wholly as oxygen and toxic fumes; every corner of the nameless city speckled with characters with their own stories, all driven to desperation to turn to villainy. It was a common sound, and it woke the people better than an alarm ever could. Here, it was better to turn tail and hope the owner of those screams reached someone who was braver. A savior.

Someone heard those screams.

But it didn't exactly matter if they were the one causing it in the first place.

* * *

Eradicus laughed, a chilling sound that reverberated throughout the small prison. My face hasn't moved from the glare it's been set it since he came in here to 'quiet' us. Which was pretty much a metaphor for "beat you even further until you lose use of your vocal cords".

"So, I finally succeeded in the main goal every villain here's been dreaming of. I have you trapped here, your Woo Foo powers gone, your whole body bruised and at _my _mercy. What more could a villain ask for?" Eradicus chuckled, his emerald eyes filled with a sick satisfaction, "Oh yes of course- maybe the power over the world! To rule it and its pathetic population! And with the destruction of Woo Foo oh-so-close to my reach, that will be an _easy_ task."

"How could you, you monster? This is really low, even for you!" Yi-my daughter screamed, struggling against the bonds that confined her. But the battle had taken a lot out of her. She was weak –drained-, wounded, and bound.

Eradicus shook his head, "Why, you should know by now that I would be willing to do _anything _just to destroy you!" he retorted mockingly. She bit her lip and quieted down, knowing her limits.

Lips set in a smug grin, Eradicus stepped away and headed for the titanium bars that trapped us in the dark and dingy dungeon. Nothing in here was enchanted with magic, and I _knew_ Eradicus knew that it wouldn't have mattered either way because we're all too weak to break through these chains, even if he did infuse them with magic.

He was mocking us; teasingly dangling the prospect of easy escape through the bars. I growled and he left, his ear-piercing laughter trailing behind him.

Turning to my side, I acknowledged my children's well-being, my long-dormant fatherly instincts kicking in. Yin was huddled near her brother, her eyes glazed as she laid down on the damp floor.

Strangely, my son had kept quiet during the whole ordeal, choosing instead to crawl to a corner and hug his knees as his eyes kept watch over his sister's limp form.

I cringed; it hurt me so much to see them like this. They were too young to be put through this kind of torture. I

Limping to my children, I sat next to them, flinching at the pain I felt by doing such simple actions. How could I have let myself turn out like this?

Hugging the two limp forms that were Yin and Yang. I snuggled them in my arms, careful not to hit any of their wounds.

Lifting up their heads, Yin and Yang looked at me, their face emotionless but their eyes filled with tears. It reminded me of a small child who got hurt by someone and would come crying for his parents. They closed their eyes and whimpered as they snuggled even closer to me.

I supported their heads with my arms as I backed into a corner and leaned onto the cold, stone wall. I cradled them like I never had the chance to before, my mouth slowly forming words I remembered being sung to me before; back when I was the frightened child, and not this failure of a father.

_Dreams surround our blue-colored lives_

_Softly, they lie dormant in the deep sea,_ _where there is no wind and no stars_

_Lost, inside pure darkness,_

_If you don't cry and dream,_ _you can go home one day_

That was it, a lullaby. I didn't attempt to lessen their fears by saying lies; that everything would be fine. Because I knew, _we _knew, that this was it. Life isn't always a fairytale, and it doesn't always have a happy ending. And after all those easy days of adventure and laughter, we finally knew real suffering and horror. As a family, we experienced real pain.

* * *

This town isn't a stranger to screams. It knows the process familiarly; goes through it without much complaint. It knows the cheers that sometimes follow these screams- the whoops of joy and victory and bliss. It also knows- intimately- the silence that is dreaded, mourned and sometimes welcomed.

Tonight, it's introduced to a new sound: voices- one deep, worn and tired, one soft and feminine, one hesitant- entwined in a lilting lullaby that neither takes nor promises hope, but grounds reality.

The night shutters.


	2. Epilogue

**Notes: **Yeah, I lied about the oneshot thing.I found this in my inbox as a reply to _sunstar989's_ review. Wrote an alternative happy ending for the family. I thought it was cute so I'm posting it here for anyone who wants to read it. It's not really necessary to the plot though. Just cute family fluff. (◡‿◡✿)

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**Lull Me To Comfort **

**Epilogue**

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_'Please let them be alive. Please, please, please. You can take the couch and even the pretzels, just don't take them away from me.'_

Yo trudged through the ravaged mess that the Nightmaster's castle had degraded to. Various scorch marks and streaks of red, still slightly wet, decorated the few stone walls that were left.

It was the very picture of a ruined battlefield.

"Yin? Yang?" he called worriedly, his steps faltering with every call that was left unanswered. "C'mon you two...this isn't funny. Where are you?"

Silence, loud and overwhelming, was his only answer.

"Fook!" he cursed, kicking away a broken lamp that was in his way, before dropping to his knees as he punched the ground repeatedly. "Why?! WHY THE HELL NOW?! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE WAITED UNTIL I FINALLY GOT A CHANCE TO SPEND TIME WITH THEM, HUH?! ARE YOU REALLY THAT SADISTIC?!"

"M-master Yo?"

A quiet, curious voice stopped Yo in the middle of his rant as he turned his head around wildly to look for the source of the voice. He found her behind one of the broken walls; a nervous look in her eyes as her twin brother stood behind her.

"Are you alright, old man?"

Yang wasn't any less blunt, though Yo noted that the nickname he used was affectionately used.

Then again, that isn't important.

"Kids!" he said. He hurriedly wiped his face clean of blood, tears and mucus before running up to take Yin and Yang in his arms in a big bear hug. They squirmed underneath his tight grip but returned the hug with the same fervor.

"Where the hell were you? And why didn't you answer me?" he demanded. Yin and Yang laughed nervously.

"Yeah, about that..."

"The force from the blast was really strong Master Yo. It was able to throw us back pretty far." Yin explained.

Yang grinned. "Yeah, pretty powerful move right there, huh Master Yo? Why are you crying anyway? We won, didn't we?"

Yo only shook his head at Yang's cockiness, "Yeah, yeah. You're both getting pretty strong now, aren't you?" he smiled, a hint of pride seeping into his voice.

"Yeah! So do we get a big, shiny medal declaring us the 'World's Greatest Heroes' or better yet, finally become Level 3 Woo Foo warriors?"

"Hm, we'll see." Yo smirked. "Anyway, we better head back to the dojo. I still need to check on those wounds of yours. Unfortunately, I used up all my magic in the battle so I can't Foo-portate us there and I'm pretty sure you guys are all wiped out too. So we're going to have to walk."

Yin and Yang groaned.

"But Master Yo!"

"No buts! March!"

Yo turned his back towards the North, prepared to hike all the way back to town. 'I said you could take the couch and the pretzels...I didn't say all of them.'

"Hey, Master Yo?"

He stopped when he felt someone tugging on his fur. He turned back to see Yin and Yang shyly bowing their heads and drawing patterns on the ground with their feet. His eyes softened.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Can we...can we call you Dad?"

He stood still, shocked at the unexpected question and uncharacteristic display of shyness they were both showing. Usually, whenever they played this card, it was always to guilt trip him into getting them what they wanted. Still, he was unable to repress the fond smile that found its way on his lips.

"Sure. Why not?"

There were shocked yells and bouts of laughter as Yin and Yang suddenly tackled him; hugging him so tightly that he couldn't breathe. Yet he hugged them back just as tightly, almost as if he was making up for all of the years they lost between them as father and children.

"Yay! Hey daddy, daddy! Can I finally get my own room?"

"Will you play video games with me?"

"Give me a Two-nicorn for my birthday?"

"I want more video games! And holidays too!"

Despite the growing requests, Yo only laughed, his mood still high from the victories he won. Though defeating Eradicus was important to save their world, he found that it wasn't the most important battle that he won.

The greater victory that day was the fact that he had been there for Yin and Yang...as their father.

_'Mother of Foo, I am getting old.'_


End file.
